Northern Groove

Finding time to learn, even for just 15 minutes a day together with your child can be hard to do.  But, the benefits of this time together, whether reading and writing, playing and exercising, or simply talking about your day, are far-reaching and beneficial for everyone.

If you haven’t started putting aside 15 minutes a day for family learning, Family Literacy Day offers the perfect opportunity to start. Established in 1999 by ABC Life Literacy Canada, the initiative encourages families to participate in fun learning activities to improve literacy skills for both the adult and child. It takes place annually on January 27.

ABC Life Literacy Canada encourages all Canadians to spend 15 minutes a day engaged in a learning activity with a child.  Spend time as a family reading a story after dinner or at bedtime, playing a game, or doing a puzzle together.  On the weekend, visit the local library for a new book.  You can also make an event of grocery shopping by writing out a list, adding up costs and counting how many of each item you need.  There are so many learning opportunities in our daily lives – we just have to embrace them!

In Fort St. John, we’re using the whole week to celebrate.  

On Tuesday, January 24th, Christy Jordan-Fenton will facilitate a poetry workshop at Rising Spirit Aboriginal Youth Centre.  Originally from rural Alberta, Christy is an accomplished writer of children’s books who now lives in the North Peace.  Her books, Fatty Legs and A Stranger at Home are both autobiographical in nature.  With creative help from Christy’s mother-in-law, Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, they tell the story of Margaret’s experiences in residential school.  Rising Spirit Aboriginal Youth Centre will host the workshop from 6:00pm to 8:00pm as part of their Visions Youth Group.  The workshop is free and open to the public.

In collaboration with CMIS (Community Multicultural and Immigrant Services), there will be a Family Literacy Community Kitchen on Wednesday, January 25th.  Lindsay MacIssac, a clinical dietician, will teach families how to regularly incorporate delicious and healthy meals into their diet.  The workshop will be 6:00pm to 8:00pm in the North Peace Secondary School Foods Room.

On Saturday, January 28th, the Fort St. John Public Library will host a sleepover and film festival for children and their families.  The film festival, which includes favourites from the National Film Board, will start at 6:00pm.  Parents and their children will spend the night in the library, surrounded by thousands of books!    

All events for the week-long Family Literacy Day celebration are free and open to the public.  For some events, space is limited, so you must register to participate!  To register, phone Clarice Eckford at 250-262-2088 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  For more information on Family Literacy Day, including some Family Literacy tips and activities, visit www.familyliteracyday.ca.

For the best chance at learning - why not PLAY!  Family Literacy Day is closing in on us - January 27, 2011.  The theme this year is Play For Literacy, I wish I had thought of that theme but alas smarter people in bigger cities got to pick.  This day is to build awareness that building literacy skills can happen outside of reading a book: we can PLAY! There are many things we can do to play such as dress-up, board games, cards, drama games, play outside . . . All of these types of skills are essential for developing literacy.  Play helps build communication, team-work, cooperation, problem solving, critical thinking, turn-taking, listening, reading, sometimes math and writing, and in children one of the most important skills is self-regulation.  Self-regulation is the ability to adapt emotions, attention and behaviour while working with others; it is also about delaying gratification, investigating, problem solving, and reflecting. 

PLAYing is a way that skills can be built, practiced and supported.  So have fun on January 27 and PLAY for literacy.  For more information on Family Literacy Day check out www.abclifeliteracy.ca

What's happening in our Community on January 27???

The Library is having a scrabble tournament at 7:00 pm.  Are you as good as you think you are????  Contact Morgan Peltier at the FSJ Public Library for some more information 250-785-3731

SUCCESS and WCWP are hosting an interactive event with a panel discussion and movie about newcomers and the workplace - they are giving away some prizes to support Family Literacy Day.  YEAH for SUCCESS!!!! Another way to have some fun.

All Day at Patch Java come on out and play some games during lunch-time, and stay for games on the WOW bus from 2:00 to 4:00.  If you like to draw or like to laugh come for the Pictionary Play-Off and while you are still there enjoy your dinner with a Dramatic Munsch Reading - who doesn't like Munsch???? 

If you are around on Janaury 26 enjoy some board games at the lovely Cultured Cafe during lunch time with Jaimelia Turner, or in Taylor at the Ice Rink with Erin Evans!  Either way you are sure to have some fun PLAYing!

Thank you to Patch Java who allowed to enter their cafe and take over on January 12 and a big thank you as well to CJ Java's on Main for allowing us to take over on January 19 and PLAY during lunchtime. 

PLAY it sure is fun!  If you would like more information you can contact Erin Evans, Literacy Outreach Coordinator at 250-262-2088 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.